Aurelion stood at the edge of the forcefield, his arms crossed, his mind churning.
The mansion loomed before him, its walls covered in glowing runes, its gates reinforced with shimmering energy. The loan shark was inside. The man who controlled the lower levels, who had sent the thugs, who might know something about the Fracture.
But the forcefield was in his way.
He was about to try something reckless when the gates opened.
Two guards emerged. They were tall, armored, their faces hidden behind gleaming helmets. They carried weapons—sleek, advanced, clearly designed for intimidation.
They stopped at the edge of the forcefield, their eyes fixed on Aurelion.
"State your business," one of them said. Its voice was flat, mechanical. "Do you have an appointment with the master?"
Aurelion stared at them.
Then he smiled.
It was a slow, sly smile. The kind of smile that made guards uneasy.
"I want to borrow a loan," he said.
The guards exchanged glances.
"A loan?" the first one repeated.
"Yes." Aurelion spread his hands. "I heard this is the place to come if you need credits. I need credits. So I came."
The second guard stepped forward. "The master does not grant loans to random offworlders. You need to have collateral. You need to have—"
"I have collateral." Aurelion's smile widened. "I have something very valuable."
The guards were silent for a moment.
"What kind of collateral?" the first guard asked.
Aurelion leaned in conspiratorially.
"My reputation," he said. "I'm the Demon King. The Coliseum fighter. The one who defeated the Dust Lurker and the Insectoid Gladiator. I'm worth a lot to the right people."
The guards exchanged glances again.
"The Demon King," the second guard repeated. "We've heard of you."
"Good. Then you know I'm serious." Aurelion straightened. "I want to borrow a loan. And I want to speak to your master personally."
The guards were silent for a long moment.
Then the first guard nodded.
"Wait here."
It turned and walked back through the gates.
The second guard stayed, its eyes fixed on Aurelion.
Aurelion waited.
The guard returned.
"The master will see you," it said. "Follow me."
The forcefield shimmered, a section of it opening. Aurelion stepped through, K-7 floating beside him.
He was inside.
The mansion was even more impressive up close. The walls were covered in intricate carvings, the floors polished to a gleaming shine. Beings in fine clothes moved through the halls, their guides floating beside them.
The guard led him through the mansion, past opulent rooms and winding corridors. Aurelion took it all in, cataloging the layout, the guards, the exits.
They stopped at a massive set of doors.
The guard pushed them open.
The room beyond was a study—a vast, luxurious space filled with books and holographic displays. A massive desk sat at its center, and behind the desk, a figure.
It was tall, gaunt, its face sharp and angular. Its eyes were cold, calculating, the eyes of someone who had built an empire on the desperation of others.
The loan shark.
"So," it said, its voice smooth as silk. "The Demon King. The Coliseum fighter. The offworlder who has been causing quite a stir in my city."
Aurelion stepped forward. "I've heard a lot about you too."
The loan shark smiled—a thin, predatory smile.
"Good things, I hope."
"Not really."
The smile didn't waver. "I appreciate honesty. It's rare in this business."
Aurelion met its eyes. "I need a loan."
"Yes. So I heard." The loan shark leaned back in its chair. "What makes you think I would lend credits to someone like you?"
Aurelion smiled.
"Because I'm the Demon King. And I'm going to pay you back."
The loan shark leaned back in its chair.
"What makes you think I would lend credits to someone like you?"
Aurelion's smile didn't waver. It grew colder.
"I don't want a loan."
The loan shark's eyes narrowed. "Then why are you here?"
Aurelion stepped forward, placing his hands on the desk. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"I'm here to give you a warning."
"A warning?"
"You sent your thugs after the innkeeper. You sent them after me. You've been running scams, controlling the lower levels, taking advantage of desperate people." Aurelion's eyes blazed. "And now you're going to tell me everything you know about the Fracture."
The loan shark laughed—a thin, brittle sound.
"And if I refuse?"
Aurelion's hand shot out, grabbing the loan shark by the collar. He lifted the being out of its chair, its feet dangling above the ground.
"Then I'll tear this mansion apart, brick by brick, until I find what I'm looking for."
The loan shark's eyes were wide, its composure gone. Its hands clawed at Aurelion's grip.
"You—you can't—"
"Try me."
Aurelion held its gaze for a long moment.
Then he released it.
The loan shark collapsed back into its chair, gasping for breath.
"The Fracture," Aurelion repeated. "Tell me what you know."
"I-I don't know" The loan shark gasped out
Aurelion threw him across the room. "I have other ways of making you spill, yk."
The loan shark's eyes darted to something behind its chair. Aurelion saw the movement—a subtle shift, a flicker of desperation.
He moved.
But the loan shark was faster.
Its hand slammed against a hidden panel on the desk. A button. An alarm.
The doors burst open.
Guards poured into the room—dozens of them, their armor gleaming, their weapons raised. They formed a wall between Aurelion and the loan shark, their eyes fixed on the intruder.
Aurelion's hand went to his sword.
The loan shark's composure returned. It straightened its robes, smoothing down the wrinkles Aurelion had left.
"You made a mistake," it said, its voice cold. "Coming here alone. Threatening me in my own home."
Aurelion didn't answer. He was already moving.
The guards charged.
The first one fell before it could raise its weapon. Aurelion's blade carved through its armor like paper. The second followed. Then the third.
He was a blur of motion, his sword a silver arc of death. The guards fell around him, their bodies crumpling to the floor.
But there were too many.
He was forced back, step by step, his blade deflecting shots, parrying strikes. The guards were relentless, their numbers endless.
And then—
The wall behind the loan shark flipped.
It was fast—a hidden mechanism that spun the section of wall, revealing a dark passage beyond. The loan shark was already moving, scrambling through the opening.
Aurelion tried to follow.
The guards surged forward, blocking his path.
He cut through another one. Then another. But they kept coming.
The wall flipped back.
The loan shark was gone.
Aurelion stood in the center of the room, surrounded by bodies, his plasma sword beaming lightly. The guards had stopped, forming a defensive perimeter.
"HE'S GETTING AWAY!" Aurelion roared.
K-7 floated beside him.
"There is a hidden passage," the robot observed. "The loan shark is escaping through it."
Aurelion looked at the wall. It was seamless—no sign of the opening.
"Can you open it?"
"I can attempt to access its mechanism. It will take time."
Aurelion glanced at the guards. They were regrouping, their weapons raised.
"Make it fast," he said.
The guards were relentless.
Aurelion moved through them like a storm, his blade a blur of silver and death. They fell before him—one, two, three—their bodies crumpling to the polished floor. The room was filled with the clash of steel, the crackle of energy weapons, the grunts of the dying.
He cut through another guard. Then another. Then another.
His sword found throats, hearts, gaps in armor. He moved with the precision of someone who had been fighting for centuries, his body responding to threats before his mind could process them.
The last guard fell.
The room was silent.
Aurelion stood in the center of the carnage, his chest heaving, his blade dripping with ichor. The bodies of the guards lay scattered around him, their weapons still warm.
He turned to the wall.
K-7 was hovering in front of it, its little arms extended, its sensor flickering rapidly. A panel on its chest was open, revealing a series of glowing ports that were connected to the wall's mechanism.
"I am attempting to access the door's systems," the robot announced. "The security protocols are... advanced. This will take time."
Aurelion walked over. "How much time?"
"I cannot provide an exact estimate. The encryption is complex. It is designed to resist unauthorized access."
Aurelion stared at the wall. The loan shark was on the other side, escaping. Every second he wasted was a second the being could use to flee, to disappear, to take his information with him.
He took a breath.
Then he stepped back.
"Screw this," he said.
He kicked the door.
The impact was immense—a shockwave that rippled through the wall, sending cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. The door groaned, its hinges screaming in protest.
He kicked it again.
The door flew off its hinges, launching across the passage beyond with a deafening BOOM. It crashed into the opposite wall, splintering into fragments.
Aurelion stood in the doorway, his foot still raised, his expression flat.
K-7 floated beside him, its sensor flickering.
"That was... unconventional," the robot observed.
"It worked, didn't it?"
"It did."
Aurelion lowered his foot and stepped through the doorway.
The passage beyond was dark, narrow, and sloped downward. The loan shark's footsteps were visible in the dust, leading deeper into the mansion's secret corridors.
"Let's go," Aurelion said. "He's not getting away."
He ran.
K-7 followed.